Ste. Marie, Michigan
|image = STM-skyline-2012.jpg |country = United States |state = Michigan |county = Emmet, Cheboygan |founded = 1671 |mayor = Pat Quinn (D) |elevation= 594 ft (181 m) |city = 402,157 (2013) * 46th in U.S. * 2nd in Michigan |density = |metro = 983,681 (2013) * 54th in U.S. * 2nd in Michigan |denonym = }} Ste. Marie is Michigan's 2nd most populous city, located at the northern tip of the Lower Peninsula. With Lake Michigan to the west and Lake Huron to the east, Ste. Marie is one of the busiest ports in the Great Lakes region. As of a 2013 estimate the Ste. Marie-St. Ignace metropolitan area had a population of 983,681. The city's population was estimated to be 402,157.Demographics of Ste. Marie Located to the immediate west of Ste. Marie in Lake Michigan is Bay Ste. Marie, for which the city is named. The city is known for its French and Carribean heritage, having strong historical ties to French Canada and France's territories in the Carribean. Ste. Marie is notable for its influential foods and French colonial architecture, both of which attract millions of visitors to city every year. Ste. Marie is located in both Emmet and Cheboygan Counties in Michigan. It is the seat of both counties. Its location on the shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron form a half-moon shape. It is bordered by Charlevoix and Otsego Counties to the south, Mackinac County to the north, Lake Michigan to the west, and Presque Isle County to the east. History Colonial era The land at the tip of the Lower Peninsula was previously settled by the Odawa before the arrival of the French. Ste. Marie was founded in 1671 by Jacques Marquette and several other Jesuit missionaries. After a fire in 1705 burned most of the structures, Ste. Marie grew and the monumental architecture for which the city is known, was built. Ste. Marie's only contribution to the French and Indian Wars was a number of French garrison sent to fight throughout New France. Nevertheless, the city was ceded to the British on February 10, 1763, under the Treaty of Paris. Sooites (a nickname branded by the French) resisted the British's strict rule of the city from 1763-1779. The Bloodless Rebellion of 1779 liberated the city from British rule and in 1783, Ste. Marie became part of the young United States. On July 13, 1787, Ste. Marie became the capital and largest city of the Northwest Territory. Included in the Northwest Ordinance was the prohibition of slavery in the territory, liberating a total of 1,340 black slaves and bringing the total of free blacks in Ste. Marie to 2,472 of the total population of approximately 13,000. 19th century In 1812, the British captured nearby Fort Mackinac and occupied Ste. Marie. The Battle of Ste. Marie in 1814 was lost by the Americans, and to prevent an uprising in the city of 20,000; Ste. Marie was placed under martial law. The British retreated from the area months later in December 1814, and Ste. Marie was returned to American control on February 18, 1815. Industry boomed in the years following the war. In particular, iron was mined on the Upper Peninsula and processed by predominantly black laborers in Ste. Marie's factories. Large waves of German immigrants arrived in the city as early as 1820, but the dominant language in the city remained French. Culture Music Ste. Marie has been a center for music in the United States since the early 1920s when Swing and 1920s Jazz were developed in the city. A pioneer of Ste. Marie's music was Bix Beiderbecke, a Ste. Marie native of German ancestry who formed The Wolverines in various dancing halls in Central City. Jazz grew to become synonymous with Ste. Marie in the "Jazz Age" when America sought new music. While Ste. Marie Jazz (Northern Jazz) shares many qualities with New Orleans Jazz, there are several differences. Northern Jazz was said to have invited, rather than commanded you to listen - perhaps due to a simple difference in slave culture of the colonial era, where slavery in the Ste. Marie was ended far before it was in New Orleans. Food Ste. Marie is often referred to as the birthplace of America's food. Indeed, many popular dishes eaten across the country today originated from the diverse pallet of Ste. Marie. Most notably is Ste. Marie's take on hamburgers, with thicker patties of beef, thick French bread buns; topped with ingredients such as pickle relish and varieties of Great Lakes seafood. These are then topped with des allemands (of Germany), which is a flavorful, salty seasoning that is very recognizable and widely used in other dishes of the city. A form of chili was also developed by poor Creole slaves in the mid 18th century containing no spices - unlike Texas style chili. This is commonly served in the fall and winter months, while French bread sandwiches loaded with chicken and roast beef are served during the spring and summer. Other soups, such as potato and minestrone, were developed by Irish immigrants in Ste. Marie throughout the 19th century. References Category:Cities in Michigan Category:Former state capitals in the United States Category:Cities in Ste. Marie metropolitan area Category:County seats in Michigan Category:1671 establishments in New France Category:Populated places established in 1671 Category:Populated coastal places in Michigan